Rustic Pain de Pecan for BBD#69

The theme for Bread Baking Day #69 is Regionale Brote / Local breads. The host of this month’s challenge, Thomas from Der Gourmet, invited us to bake modern breads with adventurous names, or old classics, or perhaps breads that have been forgotten.

He reminded us that each region has its own charm and this brings with it great breads. He mentioned breads like Paderborner, Basel bread, Munich house bread, and SF Sourdough as examples. 

None of those breads are from my region. In the Southern region of the U.S., we are known for biscuits and cornbread, both charming in their own rite, but not too adventurous, or yeasted for that matter. It was time to get creative.

As I was pondering what bread to make for this challenge, I remembered that Pain de Pecan was the BOM (Bread of the Month) for the Artisan Bread Bread Bakers FB Group. Well now, if there is anything more local to Georgia than pecans, I don’t know what it is, except maybe peaches.

I grew up in metro Atlanta, but both of my parents are from South Georgia. My grandparents on my dad’s side had huge pecan trees growing in their yard. When we visited them, we would gather the nuts that were scattered around the yard and bring home big brown grocery bags full of pecans. They were whole pecans so we had to shell them, but that was part of the fun. We didn’t know how good we had it back then getting loads of pecans so cheaply.

Rustic Pain de Pecan with Homemade Spicy Peach Butter

 

I wanted this loaf to be a truly local/regional bread so in addition to the pecans, I used Bolted Red Fife Bread Flour milled at Anson Mills in South Carolina, and Hard Red Spring Wheat milled in my kitchen. I think flour milled in your own kitchen is about as local as you can get unless of course, I grew the wheat myself.

 

Rustic Pain de Pecan

Makes: One Loaf

Adapted from: David of Hearthbakedtunes 75% hydration loaf

Sourdough Build:

• 120g Water *
• 114g Home-milled whole wheat flour (from Hard Red Spring Wheat)
• 22g Levain (sourdough) **

Final Dough:

• 277g Water, hold back 25g for mixing with salt after autolyse *
• 228g Red Fife Wheat Bread Flour (hand milled style rustic)
• 114g Home-milled Whole Wheat Flour
• 9g Salt
• 90g Pecans, toasted until fragrant
  

* Home-milled flour absorbs more water so if you make this bread using commercially-milled whole wheat and bread flour, you’ll probably need less water.  The original recipe is 75% hydration, my version is more like 87% hydration.

** I used my apple starter, but you can use any kind of sourdough starter for this bread. Just make sure it’s been fed and ready to go.  Refer to this post on how to activate a starter or feed your starter according to your feeding schedule.

 

Make the Sourdough Build:

Combine the water and levain and mix until combined, add the whole wheat flour and mix again until a single consistency is formed. Cover, and allow to rest in a warm place 8-10 hours.

It can take up to 12 hours for the sourdough build to be ready to use. To test for doneness, take a spoonful of the levain and drop it in a glass of water.  If it floats, it’s ready, if it sinks to the bottom, let it ferment a little longer.

Autolyse:

Combine the flour and water and starter and stir until combined but still somewhat shaggy. Allow to rest for 30-40 minutes.

Add the salt and 25 grams water. Knead it into the dough by hand for about 8-10 minutes. After about 6-7 minutes add the pecans and knead until combined. Place the dough in a clean bowl, cover and let rest for 2.5 hours. Fold the dough in thirty minutes increments (four folds total).

Proof the Loaf

Ease the dough out of the bowl onto a floured working surface. Preshape the dough into a boule, let it rest 30 minutes. Then shape the dough into a tight round loaf and place it seam side up in a lined or unlined floured banneton basket. Allow the loaf to proof for two hours.

 

Score and Bake the Loaf

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. for 40 minutes with the Emile Henry Bread Cloche on the bottom rack.

Take the cloche (lid and bottom) out of the oven and place them both on surfaces where they won’t crack. I use cloth-covered bread boards for this purpose.

Sprinkle the bottom of the cloche heavily with corn meal or corn flour. Gently flip the loaf out of the basket and onto the bottom of the bread cloche. 

Score the loaf using the pattern of your choice. Place the cloche bottom in the oven and cover it with the lid. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 450 degrees F.

Bake the bread with the lid on for 25 minutes. Remove the lid and finish baking 10-15 or until desired crust is produced.

Let it cool completely on a wire rack.

This bread has been Yeastspotted.

 

 

Thanks to Thomas from Der Gourmet, for choosing Regionale Brote / Local breads as the theme for Bread Baking Day #69.  And many thanks to Zorra for creating this event many years ago.

Happy Baking!

Cathy

 

Light Wheat & Rye Bread with Butter

I named this Light Wheat & Rye Bread with Butter because it tastes great with butter. It’s the type of loaf that serves as a backdrop to the main dish but could also be the center of attention itself.

It provides the perfect accompaniment to soup for a light lunch or dinner and also pairs nicely with fruit and cheese. I’ve enjoyed it both ways and just plain with butter.

I learned how to make this shape during a workshop at the Asheville Bread Festival. The baker, Dominique Homo, taught us how to shape different types of loaves from the same rustic-type dough.

I was pleasantly surprised when he showed us how to shape this loaf. I thought you had to score around the top of the loaf with a knife or lame in order to achieve the desired shape, but this loaf isn’t scored at all. The top part of the loaf is actually an extra piece of dough which you shape into a small round ball, flatten and attach to the larger part of the loaf. It is held in place by a little bit of oil and a fingertip indentation.

I didn’t take notes on how much dough to use for the extra piece so it’s a little rounder and plumper than the one Dominique demonstrated in the workshop. His loaf had a thinner and flatter top with the squared, sharp pointy edges, commonly referred to as “ears” in artisan bread baking.

Next time I try this shape, I’ll use less dough for the top and make it thinner.

I baked this loaf on a baking stone and although I liked the crumb, I think this particular shape might work better in a bread cloche in order to achieve a crustier crust and sharper edges.

Even though the shape is not exactly what I was shooting for, I think the loaves turned out kind of cute.

 

 

Light Wheat and Rye Bread with Butter

Makes: 2 Small Loaves (428 grams each)

This loaf is simple and doesn’t take very long to prepare from start-to-finish. I made it Sunday afternoon and served it for dinner that evening. The home-milled flours give it a delicious and rustic appeal.

It is similar to the bread we made for the April BOM, in that it includes wheat and rye, but it differs in several ways: 1) it’s made with yeast instead of sourdough, 2) the crumb structure is tighter on this loaf which makes it easier to spread butter on it, and 3) this bread can be made in an afternoon whereas the Rustic White, Rye & Spelt Loaf takes a couple of days due to the longer fermentation time.

The formula that Dominique gave us was in percentages. This was good practice. I used 500 grams of total flour and adjusted his percentages based on the flours I planned to use. I also reduced the amount of salt and yeast.

Original formula:

• 80% white flour
• 10% whole wheat flour
• 5% dark rye
• 5% light rye
• 75% water, parts by weight
• 2% salt, parts by weight
• 6 parts instant yeast (this amount seemed way too much so I might’ve written it down wrong)

Adapted formula:

• 70% all-purpose white flour
• 20% home-milled white whole wheat flour
• 10% home-milled coarse rye flour
• 75% warm water
• a little less than 2% salt
• 2% yeast

Formula by weight and volume:

• 350g all-purpose flour
• 100g white whole wheat flour
• 50g coarse whole grain rye flour
• 375g (1 1/2 cups) warm water
• 8g (~2 tsp.) salt
• 10g (1 T) instant yeast

 

Autolyse:

Whisk the flours and yeast together in a large bowl. Gradually add the water and stir with a Danish dough whisk or wooden spoon to form a shaggy dough. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle the salt over the top of the dough. Work the dough between your fingers until the salt is thoroughly incorporated. Scrape the bowl down with a bowl scraper. Get it really clean. This way, you don’t need to add oil or wash the bowl before the bulk fermentation.

 

Bulk Fermentation:

Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it ferment 2-3 hours at warm room temperature.

Uncover and fold the dough after the first hour; recover and let it ferment an additional hour; then uncover the dough and fold it once again. Let the dough rest for the final hour.

 

Divide and Shape the Loaves:

The dough weight was 855 grams. I divided the dough into four pieces: 368g, 367g, 60g and 60g. I shaped the larger pieces into round boules and the smaller pieces into balls. I dipped my finger in a little bit of oil and spread it on top. Then flattened the smaller balls and placed them on top of the larger boules and made a fingertip indention to hold the “hats” in place.

I placed the shaped loaves on parchment paper to proof, but you can let them rest on a floured board or transfer the loaves to a baking sheet if your prefer.

Let the loaves proof for an hour or until doubled in bulk.

 

Prepare the oven for hearth baking:

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. for at least 30 minutes with a baking stone on the bottom rack and a steam pan or cast iron skillet on the top rack. 

Slide the loaves (on the parchment paper or directly) onto the preheated baking stone. Carefully place several ice cubes in the preheated steam pan or cast iron skillet.

Spritz the loaves with water and immediately close the door. Spritz the loaves two more times during the first 3 minutes of baking. Close the door and turn the oven down to 450 degrees F. 

Bake the loaves for 25 to 30 minutes or until they are golden brown and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom. If using parchment paper, remove the paper partway through the baking cycle to allow the bottom to firm up.

Remove the loaves to a wire rack to cool before slicing and serving.

I’m sharing these rolls with  BYOB!

My taste tester and I really enjoyed this bread, especially with butter.  It’s a simple pleasure.

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Rustic White, Rye & Spelt Sourdough

The term rustic can mean different things to different people.

When it is used to describe bread, it generally refers to a loaf made with different types and coarseness of flours.

Whole grain flours, such as whole wheat and rye, are typically added to give breads a rustic appeal because they provide more substance and flavor and a coarser texture than breads made completely with white flour.

Rustic can also be used in a more lenient way as I learned recently when I attended a workshop with Master Baker, Lionel Vatinet, at the Asheville Bread Festival in Asheville, NC.

Lionel is the owner of La Farm Bakery in Cary, NC, and the author of A Passion for Bread. During the workshop, he taught us how to shape different types of loaves using the same ciabatta dough. His teaching style is very funny and engaging and you can tell he really does have a passion for bread.

As he was shaping the loaves, he would give us tips and antidotes on bread baking. When one of the loaves ended up a little lopsided, he joked and said, “If you ever make a loaf that’s not quite the shape you intended, don’t get mad at yourself or discard the bread as a failure, just tell everyone it’s a rustic bread and it’s supposed to look that way.”

I like that approach. It’s very thoughtful and forgiving. I’m sure I’ll find plenty of opportunities to use “rustic” to describe my not-so-perfect breads.

 

 

 

Rustic White, Rye & Spelt Sourdough Bread

Makes: 2 large loaves

Adapted from the April Bread of the Month (BOM) for the Artisan Bread Bakers FB group.

My version is made with all-purpose flour, rye and Spelt and includes a little bit of olive oil. The original formula included a long fermentation process, but I extended it even further by retarding the shaped loaves in the refrigerator for two days instead of one. I also baked these loaves in my La Cloche rather than a Dutch oven.

I started the levain Friday evening; mixed the dough on Saturday; shaped the loaves Saturday night; and placed them in the refrigerator to retard overnight. I didn’t have time to bake the loaves on Sunday so I let them stay in the refrigerator another day. I baked the loaves on Monday afternoon, but I didn’t try them until Tuesday afternoon.

 

Day 1

• Unbleached All Purpose Flour 150 grams
• Whole Grain Spelt (or Whole Wheat) 50 grams*
• Rye 50 grams*
• 80 degrees F. water 200 grams + 1/4 cup
• Refreshed Starter 50 grams

* I used home-milled flour

In the Evening
Combine the above ingredients; allow to sit overnight at room temp.

Day 2

• 80 degrees F. water 700 grams
• Unbleached All Purpose Flour 700 grams
• Rye 200 grams
• Whole Wheat 100 grams
• Salt 20 grams
• Olive Oil 2 T, optional
• Build from the previous day
  

In the Afternoon

Add the water and olive oil (if using) to the build and mix well, Then add the flours. Combine the ingredients with a wooden spoon or dough whisk till roughly incorporated.

Let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes. Then add the salt. Allow to sit at room temp for 30 minutes. Perform the stretch and fold four times, then allow the dough to sit for 30 minutes. Perform this stretch and fold cycle every 30 minutes for the next 2 hours.

In the Evening

After the four stretch and fold cycles and when the dough has doubled, form into two Boule’s, {develop a taught skin on the boules} place these into rice/wheat floured willow brotforms. This is a fairly wet dough, but it does really well in the bannetons. I shaped my dough into one round boule and one oval loaf. Cover and allow for an hour rise. Place the baskets in the refrigerator over night. As I mentioned, I let the loaves ferment in the refrigerator for two days. The baked loaves didn’t have as much oven spring, but the flavor was wonderful.

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F. with a Dutch oven, combo cooker or La Cloche on the bottom rack. I hadn’t used my La Cloche in a while so I got it out for this bread. It was interesting to bake an oval loaf in the round bottom, but it worked.

The Next Day or On Bake Day

Take the loaves straight from the refrigerator, and place one into the bottom of the La Cloche sprinkled with corn meal or you can use a Dutch oven if you prefer.  Score the loaf in the pattern of your choice. Since these loaves had been retarding in the refrigerator, it was really easy to score them. I used a straight edged lame and got creative with the scoring.

 

Reduce the oven temperature to 475 degrees F. and bake for 30 minutes at 475. Remove the top of the cloche or Dutch oven and bake an additional 10 minutes at 450 degrees.  The loaf should be deeply browned and crusty, but not burned.

Repeat the process with the other loaf.  Let the cloche preheat again before carefully placing the second loaf in the bottom.

Remove the loaves to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.

 

This bread has a unique character. It is chewy, slightly tangy and goes well with cheese and meats. It’s rustic inside and out.

Thanks to David Durr for sharing his formula for Rustic White, Rye & Wheat.

Notes from David:

• As far as scoring, it has been my experience that with the higher hydration dough’s I get a greater oven spring when I don’t score. Try one with and one with out, then compare.
• You can substitute Einkorn or Spelt for the whole wheat. For part or all of the unbleached all purpose, you can substitute extra fancy Durham. Feel free to use what you have on hand.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Ancient Grain Tartine: Spelt, Einkorn & KAMUT

The Bread of the Month (BOM) for the Artisan Bread Baker’s FB group is Spelt-Wheat Sourdough (modified from a Tartine recipe).

I wanted to make my version exclusively with ancient grains so I substituted Einkorn for the regular whole wheat, and 50/50 all-purpose KAMUT/Spelt flour for the bread flour. I used my Einkorn sourdough starter and mixed it with all-purpose Spelt to create the levain. 

I baked the loaves in a Cast Iron Dutch Oven Combo like the method outlined in Chad Robertson’s book. However, I used a slightly different proofing, scoring and baking technique.

I let the dough retard in the refrigerator for the bulk fermentation and the final proof (after placing the loaves in the banneton baskets). I did this in order to accommodate my schedule over the weekend, but I also wanted to see how it would affect the bread. For the final proof, I placed the loaves seam side up in the proofing baskets and when it was time to bake them, I took the baskets out of the refrigerator, and carefully flipped the loaves over onto a round piece of parchment paper cut to fit the bottom of the combo-baker.

I scored the loaves on the parchment paper and used a pizza peel to transfer them to the hot combo-baker instead of flipping them directly onto the bottom of the baker and scoring them at that time. This proved to be much easier on my arms and reduced the chance of being burned while flipping or scoring the loaves.

 

Ancient Grain Tartine

Adapted from Tartine Book No. 3 by Chad Robertson

Makes: 2 Loaves

Ingredients:

• 300 g whole grain spelt flour
• 300 g all-purpose spelt flour
• 300 g all-purpose KAMUT flour
• 150 g Einkorn flour
• 150 g Refreshed Levain (100% hydration) *
• 770 g Warm Water (80ºF or 27ºC) **
• 25 g sea salt
• 30 g warm water

* You only use 150 g of the refreshed starter in this bread so you’ll have some left over. You can use that as your starter and feed it like you normally would going forward. However, since I used a mixture of Einkorn and spelt, I didn’t plan to keep this mixture as my starter. I used the remaining levain to make sourdough crackers instead.

** The original formula calls for 800g of warm water. If you use regular bread flour and whole wheat flour (instead of ancient grains), you’ll probably need the additional water, but Einkorn and Spelt do not absorb water the same way regular wheat does.

Method:

Build your Levain

For the best results, you should start by refreshing, or building your starter. To do this, take 50 g of your favorite starter. I used my Einkorn starter (aka EK) and to that, added 200 g water, 100g all-purpose spelt flour, and 100 g whole grain Einkorn flour. Mix well, cover, and let stand at room temperature overnight (or until bubbly and active). It can take anywhere from 12 – 18 hours.  It took mine about 14 hours.

 

Mix the Dough:

In a large bowl whisk together the flours.

In a separate bowl combine the refreshed starter and the warm water.

Combine the wet and dry mixtures and mix with your hands or with a Danish dough whisk until no dry bits remain.

Autolyse: Cover and let the dough rest (autolyse) for at least 30 minutes.

After the autolyse, add the salt and 30 g of warm water.

Mix well to incorporate into the dough.Transfer dough to large bowl, and cover for bulk fermentation.

Bulk Rise: During the bulk rise (3 to 4 hours, depending on temperature), fold and turn the dough every 30 minutes for the first 2 ½ hours. To do a fold, scoop the underside of the dough up and stretch it over itself towards you. Rotate the container one-quarter turn and repeat three to four times. Keep dough covered between folding. After 3 hours and six folds, the dough should feel aerated, billowy, and softer. You will see a 20-30 percent increase in volume. If not, continue bulk rising for 30 minutes to 1 hour longer.

 

At this point, I retarded my dough in the refrigerator overnight. You can continue with the dividing and shaping and the bench rest if you prefer.

Dividing & Shaping: The next day, or after the bulk rise, turn out the dough onto a clean, un-floured work surface. Lightly flour the top surface of the dough and cut into two pieces. Pre-shape each piece gently into a round by working the dough in a circular motion. Take care to work the dough gently and not de-gas.

Bench Rest: Lightly flour the tops of the rounds, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rest on the work surface for 20-30 minutes. Line two medium baskets or bowls with clean, dry kitchen towels and dust generously with a 50/50 mixture of any wheat and rice flours.

Final Shaping: Refer to the Tartine (Chad Robertson) method for shaping wet dough (here is a helpful video link: http://youtu.be/cIIjV6s-0cA, the shaping starts at the 3:09 minute mark)

Final Rise: Transfer the dough to the floured baskets, flipping the dough over so that the seam side is facing up and centered. If you want to coat the loaf in seeds or cracked grain, roll the smooth side of the dough in the coating before transferring it to the floured rising baskets, placing the dough coated-side down, seam-side up. Cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel and let rise at warm room temperature for 3 to 5 hours or overnight in the refrigerator (bake directly from the refrigerator, if using this option).

I opted to place the baskets in the refrigerator overnight. As I mentioned, I wanted to see how they performed with the double retardation in the refrigerator.

 

To Bake: Pre-heat the oven to 500F/260C, adjust the oven rack to its lowest position, and place a cast iron Dutch oven, or any other heavy ovenproof pot with a tight-fitting lid into the oven. Pre-heat for at least 30 minutes.

Carefully transfer one dough round into the preheated Dutch oven, tipping it out of the basket into the pot so it is now seam-side down. Score the top of the dough, Cover the pot and return to the oven. After 20 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 450F/230C. Bake another 10 minutes, then carefully remove the lid (a cloud of steam will be released). Continue to bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is a deep golden brown.

This is where I deviated from the instructions.  Instead of tipping the loaves directly into the hot Dutch oven bottom, I flipped the loaves onto round parchment paper cut to fit the bottom of the Dutch oven. Then I scored the loaves on the parchment paper and transferred them to the bottom of the Dutch oven using a pizza peel.

When the loaf is done, turn it out onto a wire rack to cool.

To bake the second loaf, raise the oven temperature to 500F/260C, wipe out the Dutch oven with a dry kitchen towel, and reheat with the lid on for 15 minutes. Repeat the baking procedure as with the first loaf.

Cool completely, then slice, and enjoy!  

I think I may have proofed the loaves a bit too much, but they sure were good.  They were chewy and flavorful due to the sourdough levain.

 

This was a fun bake.  Thanks to Nancy for choosing and providing the instructions and inspiration for this bread.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Einkorn & Spelt Pain au Levain with Caramelized Onions

My love affair with einkorn continues …. with Einkorn & Spelt Pain au Levain with Caramelized Onions and Rosemary.

Over the past few months, I’ve been baking with spelt and KAMUT so einkorn got put on the back burner. Every time I would reach in the freezer to pull out one of the other ancient grains, the container of milled einkorn would beckon to me as if to say “what about me?”

I finally gave in this past weekend and used some of the milled flour to make the BOM for the Artisan Bread Bakers FB group. However, einkorn is not the only grain in this bread. It shares center stage with Spelt.

Making this bread was an experiment in a number of ways; from the grains I used, to the photos, to the fermentation process, and finally the baking process.

I used einkorn sourdough and all-purpose spelt flour to make the levain build and then mixed the levain with 80% extraction einkorn flour, sifted whole grain einkorn flour, all-purpose spelt flour and unsifted whole grain einkorn to make the final dough.

I also played around with the photos because I actually had sun shining through the windows in my kitchen this weekend. Oh what a lovely sight! I took as many photos as I could in natural light but ran out of it so you’ll see a mixture of light in the photos below.

I didn’t intend to try different fermentation methods for each loaf, but the second loaf stuck to the proofing basket so I had to reshape it and retard it in the refrigerator overnight.

My final test was baking one loaf in a preheated Emile Henry Bread Baker and the other loaf in a cold baker in a preheated oven. The loaf in the photo below is the one that was retarded in the refrigerator overnight and baked in the preheated ceramic baker. It had better oven spring than the loaf that was proofed and baked the same day in the cold baker.

 

Einkorn & Spelt Pain au Levain with Caramelized Onions

Adapted from: Pain au Levain with Caramelized Onions from David of HearthBakedTunes

Makes: 2 Loaves

Levain Build:

• All purpose Spelt flour 227g
• Water 227 g
• Starter 100% hydrated; 45g (I used this Einkorn Starter)

Mix the spelt flour, water and sourdough starter and let it sit at room temperature for at least 8 hours. I started the levain Friday night and let it rest for about 12 hours until mid-morning on Saturday.

Final dough:

• Water 372g + 35g (add with the salt)
• Build 454g
• All purpose spelt 227g
• 80% extraction einkorn flour 135g
• Whole grain einkorn flour, sifted once 195g
• Whole grain einkorn flour, unsifted 228g
• salt 15g*
• caramelized onions 226g (~1 medium onion)
• 2 –3 tablespoons dried rosemary, or to taste

*I reduced the amount of salt in the final dough to compensate for the salt added with the caramelized onions.

Caramelized Onions: Coarsely chop 283 grams of onions and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Caramelize the onions until translucent. They should be pretty wet, not crispy and dark. Set aside and let the onions cool. Add the onions once the dough is near the end of kneading.

Autolyse: Pour the levain into a large bowl. Add 372g water to the levain mixture and stir to break up the levain.  Mix in the flours and dried rosemary, using a wooden spoon, a Danish dough whisk and/or your hands until a shaggy dough is formed. Cover the bowl and allow to rest at room temp for thirty minutes.

Knead in the onions by hand. Sprinkle the salt over the dough and pour in the 35g of water. Mix with your hands until the salt is thoroughly incorporated into the dough.

Bulk fermentation: Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough ferment for 2.25 hours with two folds at 45 minute intervals. Don’t skip the folds because they help the gluten development

Shaping the loaves: Remove the proofed dough from the bowl and divide it into two equal pieces. Preshape the pieces into rounds and let them rest for 15 minutes. Shape the dough into boules and place them in linen lined brotforms or flour dusted brotforms and let them proof for 2 hours.

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

I baked the loaves one at a time and started with a cold bread baker.

Baking the loaf in a cold Emile Henry Baker in the preheated oven:

Carefully remove the loaf from the proofing basket onto parchment paper. I didn’t want the bread to stick to the bottom of my Emile Henry Bakers so I cut a round piece of parchment to fit the bottom.

Score the loaf using the pattern of your choice. I decided to score a “B” for Bread Experience. I’ll have to add the “E” next time.

You can place the parchment paper in the bottom of the baker before scoring if you like, but I transferred it after I scored it. Then I covered the loaf with the cloche lid and placed it in the preheated oven.

Bake the loaves for 40 minutes. Check the loaves at 30 minutes. Remove the lid from the baker and bake it without the lid for the last 10-15 minutes.

 

2nd Loaf retarded in refrigerator overnight.

Now it was time to bake the 2nd loaf.  However, it stuck to the proofing basket so bad I had to reshape it. So I reshaped it into a boule and placed it in a lined proofing basket dusted with einkorn-bran. It was getting late so I chose to retard the dough in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, I removed the dough from the refrigerator and let it warm up to room temperature.

Baking the loaf in a preheated Emile Henry Baker:

Meanwhile, I preheated the oven to 450 degrees F. with the Emile Henry Baker on the bottom rack for 30 minutes.

This time the dough came out of the basket very easily. I scored it and placed it on the round parchment paper.  For this loaf, I used round parchment paper I got from KAF. It looks better than my attempt at making round parchment with scissors.

When the oven and the bread baker were preheated, I used a pizza peel to transfer the the loaf (on the parchment paper) onto the bottom of the ceramic baker. I baked the loaf for 40 minutes, removing the lid for the last 10-15 minutes of baking.

 

Let dough cool completely before slicing.

 

This is the crumb shot of the first loaf. It had a delicious smell and flavor.

 

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy